The Beads - Whitten Family Adoption

The Beads

The beads woven into this bracelet have a very special meaning.  This bracelet is helping to bring two treasures home from Ethiopia.  Two sisters that have been waiting for their forever family for over three years now.  For more than three years they have seen other treasures go home to their forever families.  Soon, these two sisters will be making their own journey home with their forever family.  No longer orphans, no longer alone.

Yesterday I participated in our womens ministry Cookies and Creation.  It was an event where homemade cookies and homemade items were sold.  One of the tables was selling these bracelets.  The money raised will help one of our pastors and his wife bring home their two treasures. 

May 2011 they traveled to Ethiopia to help their sister/brother ~in ~love bring home their two boys.  While they were there God spoke to their hearts.  And now, they are in the process of bringing home their two little girls.

The two orange beads surrounding the four smaller green beads represent Pastor and Mrs. Whitten, the mama and papa.  The two green beads next to the orange ones represent their two kiddos, and the two green beads in the center represent their two new treasures waiting to come home.

And the round orange bed at the end...Is God, tying the all together as one family!

You can follow their amazing journey here  http://2lessorphans.wordpress.com/

Rejoicing that two more treasures are coming home,

Team One Less Broken Heart

Watson Family Adoption

The Watson Family Adoption -http://www.engendo.org/family/watson/



Brett and Arlene Watson have long had adoption on their hearts. In addition to their two biological children, Ryan and Lauren, they have adopted Ben (from South Korea) and Christine (locally) after the loss of her mother. Brett and Arlene have a heart for children and have been in youth ministry for over 15 years. Brett is currently a pastor at a church in the Sarasota area. Arlene is in attending USF to complete her Elementary Education degree.






When Arlene traveled with friends to an adoption retreat in early 2011 she came home with a heart touched by the plight of orphans in Uganda. After prayer and planning the entire Watson family decided to move forward.






In September of 2011 they were called to adopt a very special little boy and knew very quickly that this was the son that they had been praying about.



They are selling some really cool purses to raise the needed funds to bring their boy home.  Go to their blog at http://www.engendo.org/family/watson/ and check out their purses.





Will you support them in their journey to bring home their boy? Prayerfully consider donating via the button on thier blog or by mailing a check to Watson Adoption, In Care of Engendo.org, PO Box 7444, Wesley Chapel FL 33545.

Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart

LET'S HELP THE FENSKE TREASURES COME HOME

www.chaoticandcomfortable.blogspot.com


The Fenske family of four is made up of Dad Fenske, Mama Fenske, and two beautiful little peeps that they brought home thru the miracle of adoption.  Shannon and hubby are in the process of bringing home three more of God's treasures.  But, they need help in raising the needed funds to make this happen.  Shannon has started selling AVON in hopes of earning extra income to apply towards their adoption expenses.  As those of you who have fundraised for your own adoptions know, FUNDRAISING IS HARD!  But, each and every dollar is such a blessing to the family working so hard to bring their kids home.
 
Stop by the Fenske's blog and say hello, become a follower, leave a comment encouraging them on their journey.  Do you need to do some Christmas shopping?  Why not stop by Shannon's AVON on line webstore and order some products?  This would be a tremondous help to them.
 
AVON: http://youravon.com/sfenske
 
 
Below is a little information from Shannon - Mama Fenske.



It's not easy, especially in today's society where we are expected to be strong and self-sufficient, to admit that we need help. It's not easy or even acceptable to ask for help. I certainly never thought there'd be a time when I would be pushed to do it. But, here we are, in a position where we need help. I have found something that is worth setting aside pride for - actually, not something, rather five little someones. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my children. So, I come to you, my heart open, my soul bared, asking for support whether it be in the form of a financial contribution, prayer, or forwarding this message or links to our fundraisers.








I get that the economy is terrible. I get that everyone is struggling in their own way. I get that no one really has "spare change" lying around. But, I also know that none of us is suffering as much as any child who is stuck in an orphanage. We have several ways that people can help if they feel compelled. All I ask is that you consider passing our info along to friends, family, church members, coworkers, anyone who you think might listen. Please encourage people to visit our blog, friend me on Facebook, email me, snail mail me, whatever. I would love the opportunity to educate and advocate if anyone wanted to learn more about adoption or specifically adoption of children with special needs. The Holidays are rapidly approaching and we want nothing more than the gift of our family to be whole!






Ways to Help:






Visit our blog: www.chaoticandcomfortable.blogspot.com






Tax-deductible, secure donations to: www.fromhivtohome.com click on the Network for Good icon and designate the donation for The Fenske Family OR mail to: From HIV to Home, PO Box 19212, Denver CO, 80219. A tax receipt will be sent to you by mail.






Handmade Tutus: Any size, any color shipped direct to you - only $20 each! Perfect GIFTS!






AVON: http://www.youravon.com/sfenske GREAT GIFTS!






Let's help this family bring their three little ones home to their forever families.  Each and every one of us can make a difference in the lives of these three orphans.

Blessings and Happy Friday!
Team One Less Broken Heart

Helping Bring Them Home - with Avon!

Yes, I've held one Avon adoption fundraiser and am just kicking off my second one with another family who is preparing to travel soon for their precious little one.  I'm excited to see how God blesses this family thru the Avon fundraisers.

If you need help raising adoption funds, give me a holler and I'll be glad to help you.

My hope is to use my Avon business as a way of helping to make it, One Less Broken Heart.


Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart
Bringing them home, one orphan at a time

QUICK EASY FUNRAISING

Are you looking for an easy fundraiser to help bring in needed funds for your adoption?  Are you getting close to traveling and need some extra cash for travel?  Do you need to pay some last minute expenses?

Send me an email and I can tell you how I can help you do that by helping you with an Avon fundraiser. 

I started selling Avon for that specific purpose.  To help families raise their adoption expenses.  If you would like more information, please send me an email onelessorphan@yahoo.com.

Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart

NEW HELP FUNDRAISING??!!

Let me and AVON help you raise $$ to bring your treasure home!  If you are interested, email me at onelessorphan@yahoo.com.

AVON fundraisers are super easy, and a quick way to raise the adoption funds. 



Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart

GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES

YES HE IS. 

GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES.

HE DID SO TODAY!!

He's coming home!!http://oureyesopened.blogspot.com/2011/05/god-of-miracles.html

The Supreme Court in the country he is in, has overturned the judge's decision!!

Guys, you were part of it!!

Every single person who prayed and/or fasted?

Each and every one was part of history in the making!!

His name officially is:

 

Gregory Kirill

GOD ROCKS!!!

Rejoicing and praising,

~s

Adoption Quilt Giveaway

ADOPTION QUILT GIVE AWAY

Isn't this an awesome quilt?  Do you see your adoption t-shirt in it?

Three families are working together on this give away.  They are raising needed adoption funds to bring 4 treasures home from Ethiopia.

http://journey2ethiopia.blogspot.com/p/easter-quilt-giveaway.html  [Young family]

http://toonefamilyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-adoption-fundraiser.html [Toone family]

http://justonemore4us.blogspot.com/2011/04/quilt-giveaway-only-1.html [Burlingham family]

I'm heading over to each of their blogs and make a small donation to each family.  All it takes is $1 to get in on the give away.  $1 for a chance to win the quilt and  help bring 4 little people home to their forever families.

The give away started Easter Sunday and will run for 3 weeks.  I plan to donate as many times as I can over the next three weeks.

Team One Less Broken Heart is also doing a side giveaway.  Anyone who donates and gives a shout out on their blog will be entered into a drawing for a custom made Family Values canvas.

Let's be the hands and feet of Christ and help these families bring their treasures home to their forever families. 

Let's help make it one less broken heart - 4 times over!

Helping to bring 4 treasures home,

Team One Less Broken Heart

"Bringing them home, one orphan at a time"

Thankful and Grateful

At The Foot Of The Cross
Where I Am Made Complete
You Have Given Me Life
Through The Death You Bore For Me

May your Easter be filled with love and joy

Thankful and so very grateful,
Team One Less Broken Heart

Anthony Shares His Heart

http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/04/mindful-of-orphan.html

April 18, 2011



“mindful” of the orphan


Anthony shares his heart.....

What is it in the heart of God that cares so much for the orphan? I don’t mean to question the obvious. My plea is more of an exclamation out of sheer amazement and pure awe.


“What is man that you are mindful of him?” Psalm 8:4


And much less, what is a forgotten child that you are mindful of him? I have come to realize recently that an orphan child is not just abandoned by his family or even by her country. She is abandoned by the world. And at the risk of turning away any reader of this post, you and I are in the world.






Before I entered the world of adoption, for most of my life, I never once was “mindful” of the orphan. Any orphan. That’s what orphanages are for, right? Those kids are taken care of! They get three square meals a day, surely. They sleep on beds and not on the street. They get love and attention from the caregivers of these institutions. Surely!






But most orphans do NOT get three square meals a day. They may NOT have beds to sleep on, just mats on the floor. And if they do have beds, where are the mattresses? We’re talking wooden or metal slabs. And all too frequently, they get attention from caregivers alright. How’s this for attention—fondling, rape, beating, being thrown in cribs, neglect, being left to wade in their feces and urine all day long, being tied to wooden “toilet” chairs, being rented out for the day to beggars who need to invoke more sympathy, and even murder?






These are very real occurrences. I know. I have first-hand or second-hand experience on each of these happenings mentioned.






How many orphans worldwide experience this on a daily basis? Well, think about this: today there are 147,000 million orphans in the world. That’s five million more than the entire population of Russia! Now consider that most of these orphans live in countries that are not “mindful” of them. You can imagine.






But now imagine this, even if an orphan lived in a five-star orphanage (we are imagining, right?), is his or her life better off without a family? If you are a five-year-old child, would you rather live a lonely existence at the Ritz Carlton or in a loving, Christian family that lives just above their means?






Shame on me. I have not been mindful.

If only.


If only the world heard the stories.


If only I had time and money to travel the world to shoot video footage what we hear on a frequent basis but the world doesn’t. I WISH that me and my video camera were invisible so I could stand behind the caregiver at her desk when eight-year-old Vanya from Eastern Europe runs up every day to see if a family is coming for him yet.


Or when a friend of ours, who just arrived in a country for their second trip, gets ready to go back to her lodging after her first day back seeing their five-year-old. I want to shoot how he melts down in hysteria and tears, crying out, “Don’t let my mommy leave me! Don’t go, Mommy!”


Maybe then the world will realize why God’s heart breaks for the orphan.


Maybe then God’s people will get a fire under them to do something about it.


Maybe then the Christian who is in awe of other families who adopt many times over will kneel down at their bedside tonight and do one simple thing: ask God what HE wants THEM to do about it.


Maybe then we will finally see these millions of helpless, hopeless children find their forever families.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I am blessed to be able to call Anthony and Adeye friends.  They have such a heart for the orphans of this world.

HELP MOVE VANYA'S MOUNTAIN - JOIN US IN PRAYER

April 15, 2011

SO URGENT!!!!!!

Dearest friends,

Oh my goodness....my heart is aching.

I come to you today begging for your help.  Yes, I'm begging. 

We desperately need a family for Vanya as soon as possible.  Many people have inquired about adopting him. But things have changed and we URGENTLY need a family who is paperwork ready--one who has already done their home study and has USCIS approval.  We need a family who can get to him quickly.



While I am not at liberty to give any details, I can tell you that Vanya's situation has turned into a critical need for prayer.  He needs a paperwork-ready family to commit to him in the next few days...before it is too late.

Time is running out. 

Do you know of a family who is already adopting a child from Ukr*ine?  Do you know of someone who is traveling to adopt a child from there soon and may consider adding this precious boy to their adoption? Either a family who is already adopting, or a family who has all their paperwork ready and has been waiting on the Lord to show them the right child. 

Friends, we urgently need your help....PLEASE spread Vanya's story on blogs, social networks, and adoption discussion groups.  We absolutely have to find his family soon.  The finances are not an issue--God has provided them. Now all we need is the right family--one who will say, "Here am I, Lord, send me!"

With all my heart I believe that Vanya's family is out there.  Why?  Because I believe that God has provided in a miraculous way for this boy to come home.  I believe in miracles in 2011!  I do.

Please stand with us in prayer over the next few days...trusting that Vanya's family will come forward.  How desperately he needs them now.

Pray, body of Christ!  Pray without ceasing.  Pray until Vanya is rescued and safely in the arms of those who love him.

Thank you for helping us today.  Thank you for praying and bringing this boy before the Father.  Thank you for trusting with us.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matt 17:20.

"MOUNTAIN BE MOVED!"

Any family who thinks they may be able to get to Vanya quickly, and would like more information, please contact Chris Malone at the Eli Project as soon as possible.

The above post was written by Adeye over at nogreaterjoymom.com

 

Please join us in praying for a family to come forward soon for Vanya,

Team One Less Broken Heart

 

ADOPTION QUILT...Stay tuned

Isn't this an awesome quilt?

Maybe you see your adoption fundraiser t-shirt lovingly stitched into this quilt.

Keep checking in and One Less Broken Heart and meet the  3 fundraising families and find out how you can have a  chance to win this adoption quilt.

Blessings,

Team One Less Broken Heart

HELP VANAY'S DREAM COME TRUE

http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/04/dream-come-true-giveaway.html

VANYA

See this beautiful little boy?  He has a dream.  A dream that his mama and papa will find him and make him theirs forever.  Can you imagine being 8 years old and having that dream?  Wondering every single day if it will be your turn today.

Anthony and Adeye from nogreaterjoymom.com are holding the DREAM COME TRUE GIVEAWAY.  It is incredible with over 100 items.  The body of Christ has once again come together for one of Jesus' least of these by donating the items for the giveaway, by praying for Vanya to find his family, by placing Vanya's story on their blogs and facebook pages...when two or more are gathered together in prayer, MOUNTAINS MOVE, MIRACLES HAPPEN, PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!! 

And, all it takes to enter this incredible giveaway is any size donation, no minimum, no maximum. 

There are six days left.  Six days to raise the funds needed to pay for Vanya's adoption fees.

Could you be Vanay's family?

Read his story here http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/04/dream-come-true-giveaway.html.

Blessings,

Team One Less Broken Heart

Precious Ones Needing To Come Home

Meet Noah.  He's a child of the King of Kings.  Prince Noah.

Isn't he a cutie!  Help bring him home.

The Silva family are adopting a sweet little boy named Noah.  He is in Eastern Europe.  They are trying to get to him as soon as possible and still need a lot of the money. Noah is in an orphanage which is known to not take good care of its children.  They have a fabulous giveaway happening--an awesome Nikon camera (with case and lenses) up for grabs.  Please prayerfully consider helping them.  I know they would be so thankful.

A child of King Jesus, Princess Lera. 

Will you help her come home to her forever family?

The Higbie family has been put in a very tough spot by their agency, which requires this family to be fully funded by the end of this month in order to proceed with their adoption to bring their sweet daughter home.  They still need a huge amount of money!  They are adopting a sweet little girl who has been overlooked so many times by other families.  Her name is Lera and she is just as sweet as can be.  The Higbie family needs $9,000 in just 11 days.  A fabulous giveaway is happening on their blog right now.

A child of King Jesus, Princess Kameron.

Will you help bring her home?

The Beamish family is leaving in just a few days to bring their angel, Kameron, home. They are nearly on a plane heading overseas. But, they still need $15,000!  Sound like a lot?  NOT for the body of Christ.  All contributions will add up so quickly and have them fully funded in no time.  Please, please let's help them get that amount of money that they so desperately need. All things are possible.

Please search your heart.  How can you help?  Just a few dollars will help these families bring their precious little ones home.

We can all pray.  Please, please join me in praying these little ones home.

Storming the gates of heaven for these precious lives,

Team One Less Broken Heart

Lucy Needs Our Prayers

Little Lucy needs our prayers. She was just dianosed with cancer and is in the hospital.  Please pray for this little angel and her family.  Stop by their blog and let them know you are thinking and praying for them erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com

Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart

Its God's Gosepl

itsgodsgospel.blogspot.com

Carrie and her husband have just started their journey to their third child.  They have brought home two treasurers already,  from Guatamala and Ethiopia.  They are journeying back to Ethiopia for their third little treasure.

Stop on by thier blog and say hello, read about their journey, offer your prayer support, become a follower.  Do a shout out on your blog to help them with their fundraising.

This is what it is all about, the body of Christ coming together to help each other out.

Blessings,

Team One Less Broken Heart

Bringing them home, one orphan at a time

GOT LOVE? Adopt

GOT LOVE?

Adopt

Isn't that such a cool slogan?  I think it is just awesome. And, it isn't just a slogan, it is the minus1project.blogspot.com theme for their adoption journey.  They have some really awesome tshirts and water bottles bearing this slogan. 

I've got one of their bumper stickers and tshirts and just love this saying and I believe God loves it too.

Head on over to their blog, minus1project.blogspot.com and check out all the neat things they are selling  with the GOT LOVE? ADOPT slogan to help fund their adoption.

You can help make a difference in the life of a child buy purchasing one of their tshirts, or water bottles, or bumper sticker...

GOT LOVE?  Help a family that is on their adoption journey, help to place the lonely in a family, help to bring a child who is all alone in the world home to his forever family.

GOT LOVE?

Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart

Do You Need Help With Your Fundraising?

Are you an adopting family that is fundraising to bring their little one home? Do you need help with your fundraising? Team One Less Broken Heart is in the business of helping families bring their little ones home.

Contact us at onelessorphan@yahoo.com. We'd love to help you in your efforts to bring your little one home to his/her forever family.

Blessings,
Team One Less Broken Heart
Bringing the home, one orphan at a time